


Haters Gonna Hate Hate Hate Hate Hate (I’m Sorry)

by Justagaybean



Series: Justagaybean’s TsukkiYama Week 2020 [6]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: :), Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Retail, Basically he fanboys over his customer for 3k words, Fluff, Gay, Have a nice day, Her name is Miso and I’d die for her, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Second-Hand Embarrassment, The customer is Tsukishima if you haven’t guessed, Tsukishima acts all cool and composed in this but we all know he isn’t, Tsukishima thinks it’s cute, Yamaguchi Owns a Flower Shop, Yamaguchi Tadashi-centric, Yamaguchi has a cat, Yamaguchi talks to his cat, please just read it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:54:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26156863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Justagaybean/pseuds/Justagaybean
Summary: Day 6 - Flower Shop AUYamaguchi’s family has owned a flower shop for three generations, and now it’s all in Yamaguchi’s hands. And he was doing pretty well with all of it! Until a gorgeous blond boy walked into his flower shop and turned his life on its head. And this too-pretty-to-be-true guy seems to wander in at the worst possible moments. Yamaguchi Tadashi has pretty much zero chance with this guy. Right?Or, Yamaguchi owns a flower shop, and listens to Taylor Swift. Tsukishima thinks it’s cute.
Relationships: Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Series: Justagaybean’s TsukkiYama Week 2020 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1889785
Comments: 8
Kudos: 134
Collections: TsukkiYama Week 2020





	Haters Gonna Hate Hate Hate Hate Hate (I’m Sorry)

**Author's Note:**

> I had way too much fun writing this.
> 
> Thanks for clicking on this, and please enjoy!
> 
> (Title taken from Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off”. But you knew that already.)

**_THE DAILY HERALD - MARCH 14, 2015_ **

**_Roses & Thistle to be taken over by the Yamaguchi’s young son!_ **

_ On the corner of Chestnut and Sunset is a tiny flower shop, Roses & Thistle. Established in 1951, by Hayato Yamaguchi, and his wife, Miyu, it had been passed down from generation to generation. Open 9-5, 6 days a week, Roses and Thistle is one of the main staples of our small town, home to the best of flower arrangements. Tadashi Yamaguchi, the grandson of Hayato and the late Miyu, who has grown up with the store, is to take over when his parents retire this week. The town is sure he will take care of the shop just as well the past generations— _

Yamaguchi tore his eyes away from the framed newspaper on the wall of the shop.

_ Wonder what grandma would think of me now?  _ He thought to himself, then shook his head.  _ But everything’s the same as it has been since that article was published. _

He sighed. It was one of those slow moments in the morning, a couple hours after opening but before the small rush of customers around noon. He propped his hand up on his chin, his eyes wandering around the shop.

Miso balanced herself on the counter and looked at him, blinking slowly. He stroked her fur absentmindedly. She was two years old, and her primary goal in life was to make messes and blink at him innocently while he cleaned up after her. But he loved her. There’s nothing quite like curling up with a cat while she purrs herself to sleep. Yamaguchi had lost count of the amount of times he’s fallen asleep on his armchair while petting her in his lap. He had learned not to hang plants up around the shop, and she stopped attacking the bouquets of flowers whenever she got the chance.

Miso nudged his hand, then jumped gracefully off the counter, limbering across the shop. She ducked her head as she stepped through the cat door he installed in the shop’s door. 

He sighed and let his hand drop to the counter, mentally reminding himself to get a new library book. He got bored easily. Miso didn’t stick around all day, which meant long hours to himself, six days a week. He pulled a crossword book out of his desk drawer with one hand and a pencil with another.

After an hour or two of mindless word filling, Miso nudged her head under the catflap again and padded her way over to him. She mewled at him, looking at him with wide, innocent-looking eyes as she walked behind the counter.

_ Those eyes are anything but innocent. _ He sighed and set down his pencil, slipping off of his stool. Crouching next to her, he stroked her ears, and she shut her eyes contentedly, leaning her face into his hand.

What’s up, Miso?” He murmured. “Had fun exploring? I missed you.”

She didn’t respond, but she did rub her face against his palm, which was reassuring.

“No one comes here this early, Miso. It’s boring. Crosswords can get very dull,” he informed her. “You’re an excellent listener, by the way.”

She opened her eyes and gazed at him with a sort of look, like,  _ I know. I’m the best. _

“Yes, you are the best,” he cooed, then composed himself, sighing. “Miso, do you think I’m lonely?”

Miso didn’t respond. Again. Obviously.

“‘Toka wants to set me up on a blind date. A friend of a friend. Should I go? I haven’t dated someone since Sophomore year of college. Sophomore!” He sighed. “She thinks I’m lonely. I’m talking to a cat, after all.”

Someone cleared their throat.

It took Yamaguchi a moment to comprehend this. For a desperate, fleeting moment, he thought that Miso was the one doing it, but he soon realized that it was most definitely not a Miso sound or a cat sound or even a plant sound. It was a person sound. He had a customer.

He yelped and shot to his feet, hitting his head on the bottom of his desk in his haste to stand. He whimpered and clamped his hands over the throbbing spot on his head, still crouching on the floor.

“You alright back there?” His customer asked.

The first thing Yamaguchi thought was,  _ Wow. What a nice voice. _ Smooth and cool like a lake of glass-like water reflecting moonlight in the dead of night. His second thought was that if he spent another moment behind this counter then his customer will surely think that he was insane. He shot to his feet -  _ Oh, God. _

In front of him was the most gorgeous blond boy that he’s ever seen. Sharp amber eyes pierced his behind wire frames. Pink lips twisted into a smirk. Messy waves of white-blond hair brushed across his forehead. And he’s  _ tall. _ Much taller than Yamaguchi, who’s nearly 5’11”, which is seriously impressive.

Suddenly, Yamaguchi remembered that he was just talking to a cat. 

He squeaked, and grabbed his name tag from where it laid on the counter, pinning it frantically to his apron. “Oh God. How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough,” he said coolly. His eyes flashed down for a fraction of a second to look at the name. TADASHI YAMAGUCHI. MANAGER. “I like your cat’s name.”

Yamaguchi felt his face burn. “Ah. Miso.”

“Yeah.”

“Sorry you had to hear...that.” He gestured at Miso, who looked back at him, disgruntled.

Pretty Glasses Boy chuckled. “Don’t be. It was cute.”

Yamaguchi, if possible, flushes even more, and all Smooth Amber Eyes is doing is standing there. “Okay. Right. Sorry.” He shook his head frantically in an attempt to compose himself. “How can I help you today?”

Gorgeous Blondie blinked, caught slightly off guard, but he composed himself quickly. “Right. I need flowers.”

“Well, you’re in luck,” Yamaguchi joked, and immediately cringed, but Cool and Charming’s mouth quirked into a smile and  _ Dear Lord that smile could knock someone off their feet. _ He’s 100% sure that his cheeks are as bright as a strawberry right now. “So, um, what’s the occasion?”

“My coworker is back from maternity leave. And she likes sunflowers. I think. So…” Handsome Cutie trails off, his eyes wandering to the plants that line the walls.

Yamaguchi nodded, grabbing about twenty or so sunflowers and wrapping them in paper and plastic. He hands it to the Good-Looking Guy with a smile. “That’s twenty dollars,” he says, and the boy nods, handing him a bill.

“Thanks for your purchase!” Yamaguchi chirped nervously.

And Blond-Bespeckled-Amber-Eyes looked into his eyes and flashed that cool grin of his and Yamaguchi  _ might as well just pass out right there and right then. _

“I’ll see you around,  _ Tadashi, _ ” he called on his way out the door.

_ Forget passing out,  _ Yamaguchi thought. He reached his hands up to touch his burning cheeks.  _ I might as well die. _

* * *

A week had passed and Yamaguchi was regretting things again.  _ Why didn’t you get that gorgeous boy’s name, or his number? Ask him out instead of just thanking him for his purchase? _

In truth, Yamaguchi knew he would never be able to be so forward. He’s been an introvert his entire life. What’s going to change now that some boy wandered his way into his flower shop?

_ It’s been a week,  _ he reminded himself.  _ Pretty-Eyed-Boy probably isn’t coming back.  _

He yawned. His coffee machine is broken again and he is  _ tired. _ It’s early in the day, barely an hour after he opened shop. Miso had already wandered off somewhere.

His crossword book was already looking unappealing.  _ It’s never been particularly appealing, _ he thought.  _ I don’t even like crosswords.  _

The book sat there, taunting him.  _ I’m your only source of entertainment,  _ it seemed to say. He made a face at it. He needed a better activity to fill his hours. 

He was busy trying to rack up the motivation to pick up his pencil and start his latest puzzle when the door jingled a pleasant hello to the first customer of the day. He looked up, smiling, words of polite welcomes on the tip of his tongue, when they promptly died at the sight of Blond Boy entering his shop.

“Hey,” he greeted.

“Hi,” Yamaguchi replied breathlessly, trying and failing to keep the glee out of his tone. “Did your coworker like the flowers?”

He nodded. “How have you been?” he asked.

“Good, and you?”

He shrugged and a funny little grin flickered on his face that was gone a second later. “What’s a plant that doesn’t die easily?” he asked.

Yamaguchi mentally slapped himself, out of his daydreams of being able to flirt and interact with people without becoming mentally exhausted.  _ This is a business transaction, not a fantasy,  _ he scolded himself. 

“Well, um...Succulents are pretty hard to kill, and they don’t need much attention.” Yamaguchi gestured to a small table, where a few potted plants are set up with a painted sign.

“Cool.” Gorgeous Blondie carefully picked the nearest one up, which is barely two inches tall and looks incredibly small compared to this,  _ what, 6’4”, 6’5” guy?  _ It’s purple and it’s one of Yamaguchi’s favorite plants. He silently bids farewell.  _ Goodbye, Professor Prickles. You’ve served the shop well. _

Tsukishima paid, and Yamaguchi tucked the  professor plant into a plastic bag nestled in a newspaper and handed it to him. 

And he smiled, not one of his sharp smirks but a soft smile that succeeded in making Yamaguchi’s heart rate spike.

_ God, I could stare at that smile all fucking day, _ Yamaguchi thought dreamily.

On his way out the door, Miso nudged her way through the door and she paused to gaze up at this breathtaking giant. And this man, who will probably be the primary source of Yamaguchi’s death, crouched down to stare into Miso’s eyes. She stared back, and he smirked and scratched her neck, greeting her with a “Hey, Miso.”

He can see his grave already, Yamaguchi thought to himself.  _ Tadashi Yamaguchi, killed by Pretty Blond Boy, _ who he didn’t even know the name of.

_ Shit, _ he thought.  _ I still don’t know his name. _

* * *

It’s less than a week later and Yamaguchi is beating himself up again.

_ Couldn’t even get his name, _ he thinks.  _ Pathetic. Even more pathetic, you’re crushing on a boy who you've met twice. And you don’t even know his name. _

“Miso,” he groaned. “I’m an idiot. A coward.”

Miso, who was curled up into a ball at the bottom of an empty flower pot, poked her head out to look at him disapprovingly.

“Don’t look at me like that.” He shielded his eyes from her gaze with his hands. “I’m in despair, Miso.”

She blinked at his pathetic figure, and climbed out of the flower pot. 

“Miso!”

She didn’t even spare him a glance as she strutted to the door.  _ I’m not taking any of your shit. _

_ It’s fine, _ he told himself. He didn’t need a judgy cat to keep him company during the day. He propped his chin up on his hand and surveyed the shop with a wary eye. Leaves are scattered on the floor, along with half-dead flowers and stems. Leftover from the flower-crown making class he had yesterday afternoon. 

He sighed and reached for a broom. After a second, he paused. It wasn’t like he was going to have any customers right now. It was too early in the morning. Right?

He pulled his headset and his iPod out of a drawer, loaded up a playlist, and started sweeping. Upbeat pop filled his ears.

He hummed along, bobbing his along to the beat. The song faded into a new one. He bounced on the balls of his feet. And another song.

“I stay out too late,” he sang quietly to himself. “Got nothin’ in my brain.”

He swiveled around, carefully brushing the dried leaves into a dustpan. “I go on too many dates,” he hummed. “But I can’t make them stay.”

He emptied out the dustpan into the trash bin. “That’s what people say, mm-mm, that’s what people say, mm-mm.”

Leaning back, he shook his shoulders out, his voice gaining confidence. “But I keep grooving, can’t stop, won’t stop moving, It’s like I got this music, in my mind, sayin’ it’s gonna be alright,” he sang.

He grinned, spinning the broom around. “‘Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play, haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate,”

He spun around, clutching the broom at arms length. “Baby I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake. Shake it off, I shake it off.” He twisted around, brandishing the broom.

“Heart breakers gonna break, break, break, break, break, and the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake. I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, I shake it off, I shake—”

Someone tapped on his shoulder. 

Yamguchi swore he jumped 10 feet in the air. He swiveled around, finding himself face to face with the Amber Eyed Boy who had been plaguing his thoughts for the past two weeks.

Yamaguchi nearly screamed at the sight, but managed to keep his volume down. “Oh! Hi.”

“Hi,” he replied. “Nice dancing.”

Yamaguchi prayed his face wasn't red.  _ Is it becoming a thing for him to interrupt me while I’m in the middle of doing something so incredibly stupid?  _ “I’m  _ so _ sorry you had to see that.”

He grinned. “Didn’t peg you for a Taylor Swift kind of person.”

Yamaguchi’s face was definitely red now. “I am  _ so _ sorry.”

Tall, Blond, and Gorgeous let out a laugh. “Where’s Miso today?”

“She’s not working today,” Yamaguchi informed him. “Oh God. Pretend I didn’t say that.”

He laughed again.

Yamaguchi giggled nervously. “I don’t believe I’ve caught your name.”

“I didn’t throw it,” Blonde Hottie joked. His lips quirk up slightly. “Sorry. That was pretty bad.”

Yamaguchi chuckled. Tall Pretty Eyes held out a hand. “Kei. Kei Tsukishima.”

Yamaguchi shook it. “Tadashi Yamaguchi.” He flushed again. “But you read my name tag.”

“It’s great to meet you, Tadashi.”

_ If those words came out of anyone else’s mouth it would be okay, _ Yamaguchi thought to himself.  _ But the way he says it is just...dreamy. _

“Can I help you with anything, Kei?” he asked.

Tsukishima blinked. “Um, yes?” he asked, the tips of his ears turned pink.

_ Adorable,  _ Yamaguchi fawned. He beamed at Tsukishima.

Tsukishima’s ears grew into bright red. He averted his eyes, checking his watch. “Ah. Never mind, then, I should get going, actually.”

“Oh, okay!” Yamaguchi beamed again. “Have a great day!”

The red color started flooding into his cheeks. He nodded. Then swiveled around and walked out of the shop with a quick step.

It was an hour later that Yamaguchi realized he didn’t even buy anything.

* * *

It was the next day.

Yamaguchi was still puzzling over yesterday’s interaction.  _ Why didn’t he buy anything? Did he forget his wallet? Was he going to buy something but didn’t see anything he liked? Or did he just forget? Was he just stopping by? Or possibly, did he want to say hello to me, the pathetic owner of a flower shop?  _ He looked around.  _ I do love working here. _

After a few minutes of silent musing, he ducked his head down and stared forlornly at his crossword.  _ He wasn’t coming to say hi to you. He probably just forgot what he came for.  _ He stared at the tiny empty boxes of his puzzle waiting to be filled.  _ Did I remember to order more wisteria? _

“Excuse me.”

Yamaguchi jerked his head up, out of his thoughts and his crossword.

Standing in front of him was Kei Tsukishima, cradling a half-asleep Miso in his arms. Yamaguchi nearly swooned at the sight of this handsome guy with such an adorable cat. He considered calling the authorities.  _ Hello, yes? This gorgeous man just stole my heart. Or my cat. Probably both. It’s not illegal to be that cute? It should be. I’ll start a petition. _

“Ah! Kei!” He shut his crossword book shut. “Hi!”

“Hi,” Tsukishima said. The tips of his ears were pink again.

“Can I help you?” Yamaguchi asked.

Tsukishima full on flushed. “No,” he said, then grimaced. “I mean, yes. I found Miso asleep on the curb halfway across town.” He gestured to the sleepy cat in his arms with his gaze. “I figured you might be worried about her.”

Yamaguchi laughed and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Ah, she does like to travel. See?” He reached out for her name tag, dangling from her bright pink collar. MISO YAMAGUCHI XXX-XXX-XXXX. He flipped it over. I AM NOT LOST JUST VISITING. “I put the cat door in, and she wanders in and out as she pleases. I didn’t know she went out that far, though.”

“Cute,” Kei murmured. He set Miso down, and she sauntered off.

“Can I do anything for you?” Yamaguchi asked.

Kei tore his eyes away from Miso. “Actually, there is.”

Yamaguchi smiled at him.

“Would you mind going on a date with me?” Tsukishima asked.

Yamaguchi blinked. He was expecting something flower-related, or plant-related, or hell, even cat-related. Not something date-relation.

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” he asked, his face positively burning.

“Would you like to go out on a date with me?” Kei repeated.

Yamaguchi blinked a few more times. “And you are not a figment of my imagination?

Tsukishima blinked as well, then coughed out a laugh. “I am 100% real.”

“And you’re not just joking around?”

Tsukishima shook his head. “I’m a serious person,” he said, then winked. He fucking winked. Yamaguchi flushed again.  _ This cannot be legal. Is this breaking and entering? You’ve invaded my life and tore up everything I ever thought I knew. _

“You’re sure?” he asked.

“I’m sure,” Tsukishima confirmed.

Yamaguchi stared at him for another moment, then beamed. “Yes! Yes, that would be nice. Yeah. nice.”

Tsukishima’s face broke into a grin. “Dinner is okay? Saturday?”

Yamaguchi nodded vigorously. “Yes, that works.”

Tsukishima nodded, and he started walking backwards toward the door.

“I’ll pick you up at eight, Tadashi,” he called.

And Yamaguchi  _ melted. _

**Author's Note:**

> Day 6 is done! It’s a lot shorter than I would’ve liked, but whatever. Also, it’s just pure fluff. Just fluff. Not even a little bit of angst. Maybe a tad of crack whenever I delved deep enough into Yamaguchi’s thoughts. Yamaguchi is really fun to write. 
> 
> Easter eggs(?)  
>  \- I’m pretty sure thesaurus.com is mad at me for the sheer amount of times I have looked up a synonym of “pretty” and “boy”.  
>  \- I have succulent plants, named Marsha, Sylvester, and Sybil, but I named Tsukishima’s succulent after my baby pineapple plant, Professor Prickles. (I made him a pair of wire glasses.)  
>  \- At last, a story with only our two characters! Besides Miso. Miso is my dream cat. I love her more than I should. If I have a cat I’d name it Miso or Cheeto, depending on the color.  
>  \- I actually considered two songs before landing on “Shake It Off” which was “CROWN” by TXT and TWICE’s “Dance the Night Away” before I started thinking that it was slightly weird to have to type out romanized Korean. You can thank my beta reader for the Taylor Swift.
> 
> As always, have a great day and stay safe out there! If you liked, please kudo and comment if you get the chance!


End file.
